On the way back to the company, Wang Shu had Wang Baobao and Zhang Yimou arrange accommodation for the crew members.
Then, a meeting was held to discuss the arrangements for the upcoming period.
As the meeting was drawing to a close, Wang Shu received a call from an unknown number.
After answering, Wang Shu recognized the accent as belonging to the young master of Long Island Film City, Wang Shicong.
On the phone, Wang Shicong told Wang Shu that he would invest ten million yuan.
Furthermore, the rent for Wang Shu's venues in Long Island Film City would be discounted by fifty percent.
This made Wang Shu almost burst out laughing with joy.
He hadn't expected Wang Shicong to be so generous; he truly lived up to his reputation as a rich second-generation heir, treating a ten-million-yuan investment as if it were child's play.
What was even more important was the fifty percent discount on venue rent in Long Island Film City, which was a godsend for the film crew.
After all, Long Island Film City was the only film city in Long Guo with a military simulation zone.
This was like adding wings to a tiger for Wang Shu, as he wouldn't know where to film the extensive military facilities otherwise.
With a ten-million-yuan investment and a fifty percent discount on rent, Wang Shu was already feeling a bit elated.
However, he couldn't directly use this money to purchase scientific research technology, as it wasn't earned through his own efforts.
Therefore, he had to earn money through filming television dramas to extend his lifespan.
Glancing at his remaining twenty-five days of lifespan, Wang Shu couldn't help but sigh.
He still needed to find other ways to earn money to extend his life, as this television drama would take more than twenty-five days to film.
Even after filming was completed, it wouldn't be sold quickly, so the television drama was merely a long-term investment for him.
He needed to quickly accumulate the funds to purchase the next piece of scientific research technology.
"I still need to set up the street stall tomorrow!"
Wang Shu thought to himself and murmured.
After all, the earnings from the street stall today were substantial, not only bringing in a million yuan but also directly attracting Wang Shicong, the rich second-generation heir, to invest.
In Wang Shu's opinion, this film city was also a place where dragons hid and tigers lurked, with many influential figures likely concealed within. Who knew if a few more young masters like Wang Shicong would buy scripts from him.
Then he wouldn't have to worry about the funds for purchasing the next piece of scientific research data.
With this thought, Wang Shu opened his computer and began typing.
"A Bin's high school grades were not ideal..."
Wang Shu wrote until late into the night, and noticing that it was getting late, he stopped.
Then he pressed the save button.
As for why he chose to write this book, Wang Shu had his reasons.
The reason he was able to attract Wang Shicong today was entirely due to the script for "Jin Ping Mei."
Therefore, he believed that these wealthy young masters, who were strictly disciplined by their families, had likely not read such "nutritious" works.
If he printed more novels like these and sold them at his street stall, he was sure to attract the interest of another wealthy young master like Wang Shicong.
However, for the next two days, Wang Shu continued to set up his stall at the same spot.
But most of the customers were young, fit extras, or middle-aged women who found him attractive and struck up conversations.
He didn't encounter any rich second-generation heirs like Wang Shicong, nor any famous directors.
"It turns out that stories about meeting famous directors and stars at Hengdian at every turn are all fabricated."
Wang Shu couldn't help but lament.
Although he had spent most of his life in the entertainment industry in his previous life, he had remained unremarkable for most of the time and only had a good understanding of the music industry.
He was still a novice in the film and television industry and didn't quite understand its intricacies.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to selling scripts at a street stall.
Helplessly, as the sun began to set, Wang Shu packed his belongings and returned to the company.
Since he didn't understand the professional knowledge of directing and cinematography, he had essentially handed over all the work of the film crew to Zhang Yimou.
He, on the other hand, had become considerably more leisurely.
After updating his novel daily, he would go to the street stall.
"Quickly check the homepage of Zhongdian Novel Network, there's a big surprise!"
As soon as Wang Shu returned to the company and opened his computer to search for websites to submit scripts, he saw a message from the editor, Xiao Chui.
Curiously, he clicked on the homepage of Zhongdian Novel Network.
To his surprise, he found that the monthly ticket count for his book had surpassed that of Cunzi's book.
It was even just a few votes away from the first-place book by Zhu Shen.
At the same time, within the group of esteemed authors on Zhongdian Novel Network.
Everyone was also buzzing about Wang Shu surpassing Cunzi in monthly ticket votes.
"I didn't expect this newcomer to be so fierce, not even giving Big Shot Cunzi any face!"
"Writing books is about skill; what face are you talking about? If we're talking about that, then why didn't Big Shot Cunzi give Zhu Shen any face?"
"Exactly, as long as we get to watch a good show, it's fine. It's just a pity that our Demon Emperor Big Shot has become collateral damage!"
The group members chatted and debated.
Mo Huang Taiyi was also silently observing.
He had already given up resisting, and even his new book hadn't been updated for several days.
In his opinion, the book "Douluo World" was too terrifying, and his own book couldn't compare.
They were not on the same level at all. He had spent several days carefully rereading "Douluo World" from beginning to end.
Only then did he understand why this book had such strong appeal.
He also had a premonition that this book would surely become the best novel of the year on Zhongdian Novel Network.
And the author named Gou Lan Ting Qu would undoubtedly ascend to the ranks of first-tier authors.
"The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead! Everyone, stop joking about me from now on. I admit defeat!"
Mo Huang Taiyi then posted in the group.
He was genuinely convinced of his defeat.
"What the heck, Brother Mo Huang, what happened to you? Weren't you always striving for victory?"
"You can take a loss, as expected of our Mo Huang Big Shot, much stronger than some authors who can't handle losing and report others!"
"Exactly, Brother Mo Huang's attitude is truly admirable. Although I think 'Douluo World' is really good, it doesn't stop me from being Brother Mo Huang's fan!"
At this moment, other esteemed authors in the group also chimed in with playful remarks.
......
On the other side, Cunzi looked at the rankings, which had been surpassed, and felt a pang of regret.
He was, after all, a top-tier author on Zhongdian Novel Network, and today he had been overtaken by a new author.
He had sent numerous private messages to Gou Lan Ting Qu, but the other party had completely ignored them.
This was simply too much!
"Cunzi's fans! We've been overtaken by a newcomer, can we tolerate this?"
At this moment, Cunzi logged into one of his alternate accounts and posted in the reader group.
As a well-known author, he couldn't openly instigate conflict himself, so he had to register an alternate account to speak on his behalf.
As expected, shortly after his alternate account posted this, the group members and fans responded enthusiastically, showering him with generous donations and monthly tickets.
With a flurry of activity, Cunzi's book narrowly surpassed "Douluo World."
"Thank you, brothers, for your support. The author says he will definitely update several more chapters today!"
Seeing the immediate effect, Cunzi quickly continued to say in the group.
Then, he quickly switched back to his author account and posted a thank you message to everyone.
......
When Wang Shu saw his ranking drop back to third place, he couldn't help but shake his head helplessly.
Was the monthly ticket ranking really that important, that one had to strive for first place?
Clearly, the exposure for the top three positions was roughly the same, so what was the point of fighting for first place.
Wang Shu simply closed the webpage, as he couldn't be bothered to fuss over it.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yimou's team and Wang Baobao's team had also returned to the company.
For the past two days, they had been extremely busy preparing for the filming, working from dawn till dusk.
Wang Shu had barely seen either of these groups.
"Boss, we've finished scouting the locations and negotiated the rental fees. When do you think we can start filming?"
Zhang Yimou asked Wang Shu.
"Brother Wang Shu, we've also finished our training. My military stance is very stable now. I think we can start filming!"
Wang Baobao also looked at Wang Shu with anticipation.
He had been looking forward to this for a long time. His greatest wish in life was to film a television drama or a major movie.
Now that this dream was within reach, he had been too excited to sleep well for the past few days.
"Tomorrow, we'll start filming tomorrow afternoon. This filming work will be fully managed by Yimou, and I'll only serve as a consultant. You can ask me if you have any problems!"
Wang Shu pondered for a moment and replied.
After all, he had already spent too much time in Long Island Film City and couldn't afford to delay any further.
Moreover, he understood Wang Baobao's desire to act. Since everything was ready, they should just start filming.
The sooner they started, the sooner they would finish. If he didn't manage to extend his lifespan by the time filming started too late, the television drama would be meaningless.
Upon hearing Wang Shu's agreement, both teams were ecstatic.
Especially Wang Baobao, who excitedly ran out of the door, saying he was going to call home to share the good news.
......
The next afternoon, the commencement ceremony was officially held at the company's main entrance.
For this group of people, this was the first work of their respective careers.
After the ceremony, Wang Shu received another call from Gong Tao.
Because not long ago, Gong Tao had told Wang Shu that he would invite him to a new program.
He hadn't expected Gong Tao to be so quick.
However, fortunately, the matters concerning the film crew had been mostly handled.
Wang Shu hesitated about accepting Gong Tao's invitation.
"Director Gong, will I be disqualified due to foul play this time?"
Wang Shu asked with a smile on the phone.